


Dreaming of Roses

by ThatScottishShipper



Series: Fanfic Fortnight [13]
Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: Ambition, Blushing, Chases, Crushes, Don’t repost to another site, Flowers, M/M, Plans For The Future, Rose - Freeform, Smitten Firion, Symbolism, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24664096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: As Kain chases Firion across battlefields to return a lost rose to him, he thinks about a warrior’s dream - a future free of fighting and tyranny.
Relationships: Firion/Kain Highwind
Series: Fanfic Fortnight [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537399
Kudos: 6





	Dreaming of Roses

Kain had to hand it to Firion. For a man heaving around that many weapons, he couldn’t half shift when he had a mind to.

From his trusted archery skills to even his own fists, Firion was surprisingly diverse in combat and a force on the ground, meaning Manikins faced a sound defeat. And that also meant Kain fought to keep up with him.

But Firion’s disadvantage in the sky became Kain’s gain, hence the Dragoon leapt across the lunar landscape, traversing great gaping maws of earth, in pursuit of Cosmos’ Warrior.

_ ‘Why am I doing this again?’  _ A prick against his hands and he remembered.

Propelled by his sturdy lance, Kain cleared entire sections of the battlefield easily, but Firion always seemed just out of reach. It felt like chasing a ghost in a dream, casting the illusion of keeping up when they were always a step ahead.

Eventually, Kain followed him into a void leading to an unfamiliar place. The trail of defeated Manikins bearing the faces of warriors guided him in the right direction, until he came to an opening.

The Dragoon raced across the floor, passing crystal like flower fragments as he went. All the while, they reminded him of the rose petals touched by frost’s chill, only the faintest memory of warmer days in the back of his mind.

Stars collected all around him, reminding him of Cecil and the moon. He wondered if Firion had anyone like that waiting for him back home. Kain frowned, leaping between open areas to continue his quest.

Of course he did. All that talk of liberating the world of tyranny wasn’t for his own benefit. A rebel army fighting against a fascist Empire, the underdogs striving for a bright and hopeful future…

It all sounded too familiar.

Finally, Kain reached the end of Pandaemonium, swirling clusters of stars forming a pulse of pure magic in the sky. There was an empty crystal throne, and by it stood the man he was searching for.

_ Firion _ . The Wild Rose.

As the Dragoon took a tentative step forward, Firion span like a dancer on his heel, his bow and arrow at the ready. Kain could have eluded the archer’s aim at his heart, but… something compelled him to stay there.

A confidence that no harm would come to him.

_ ‘No. He will not harm me.’ _

Firion’s eyes widened in recognition of the other man, his aim faltering when his gaze dipped and he saw a rose.  _ His _ rose, a bright red heart clashing against Kain’s striking purple armour.

The bow lowered, the arrow with it, and a question instead found its mark in Kain. Why, after keeping his distance from the Warriors of Light, had Kain come, and to bring a rose to him?

_ ‘Why?’ _ Flustered, Firion’s face expressed emotions far more readily than words ever could. Embarrassment, fright, and… something fanciful. His cheeks were red, much like the rose in Kain’s hand.

Much rested on Firion’s tongue, but nothing came out. Realising they could be here all day otherwise, Kain approached, holding out the rose to him.

“Yours, I believe?”

Still warm, Firion took the rose, their fingers brushing momentarily. In the quiet ambiance of wherever they were, Kain swore he heard Firion’s heart thumping as the young warrior took the vibrant flower.

“Thank you,” Firion said softly, gratitude glowing in his eyes. “For bringing this back. They’re a rarity… no matter where I go.”

Kain knew Firion meant more than just the empty throne room floating in the void space. To Firion, roses represented freedom, liberty against oppression from the empowered tyranny.

With a soft sigh, Firion twirled the rose thoughtfully in his hand. “It’s not the most complex dream out there, but I’d give anything to see it.”

Kain glanced at their new world. “They’ll grow in time.”

Understanding Kain’s words, Firion smiled, imagining his home flushed with red roses. His friends, from home and beyond, running through the fields, no longer scorched by war and conflict.

A home that Kain might visit someday.

“I look forward to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for IshidaSato, requesting a Kain x Firion story with the former returning a rose to the latter.
> 
> Dissidia was a game I played for a ridiculous amount of hours, and I loved the Final Fantasy crossover appeal, especially for ships.
> 
> For this story, I wanted to focus on how Kain might see Firion in terms of his dream to fill the lands with flowers, as a symbol of peace and overcoming tyranny. The rose itself is a symbol of that ambition, so for Kain to not only go out his way to return it felt like a gesture of support and acceptance of that dream.
> 
> The scene changes from the Moon stage to Pandaemonium where the throne sits. It felt like a nice location for a heart to heart, especially with the empty throne symbolising Firion’s desire to remove the corrupt Emperor from power.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 💖


End file.
